


The Price

by mementomoe



Category: Cinderella Phenomenon (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Spoilers for Fritz's Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 08:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12883632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mementomoe/pseuds/mementomoe
Summary: Fritz needed to deliver a letter to Mythros.It seemed the letter was about him.





	The Price

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea in the Dicesuki Discord and Acelia encouraged me to write it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Cinderella Phenomenon is by Akirei34 and Dicesuki. The characters do not belong to me.

Fritz usually had his shifts in the afternoon. Mornings had a certain routine to them. Walk to his favorite baker, buy a croissant, and walk back, enjoying the bread at home with a cup of tea.

It wasn’t always the case, though. He had two plans for the morning. He hoped to catch the crown princess smile on a trip out at ten. More pressing, however, his father wanted him to pass on some note to Sir Mythros.

Princess Lucette mentioned waiting in the throne room, but it seemed an odd place to wait for someone else who wasn’t royal. He made his way in that direction, only to run into the green-clad knight.

“Ah, Sir Fritzgerald. What brings you to the castle so early? Your father says you are a late riser.”

He normally was, but this time Fritz had reason to be awake.. “I have a message from my father. He’s busy today, but said it was urgent.” He pulled the letter out and handed it over. He hoped it would be all, not that he would say that to a superior knight. Fritz wanted to speak with the Princess more.

Sir Mythros took the letter and quickly looked it over. “Oh, yes, he said he thought you could help me with a mission. We should talk somewhere private. I think I know an empty room.”

“Forgive me, but perhaps we could talk later. I promised the crown princess I would do my job as her knight when she went to town today. There’s only an hour until the scheduled time to leave.” He did his best to sound apologetic.

The superior knight kept his tight smile on his face. “Do not worry, this mission is not urgent. I just need to give you the information today. You’d just need to take care of some tasks for me every week. Please, follow me.”

It seemed there was no getting away from Mythros. While he seemed to be a good advisor to the king, his smiles sometimes made Fritz’s hair stand up like an angry dog’s. Still, if all that was urgent was learning what the task was, he could do it.

Mythros walked towards the barracks. Fritz had a room there, though he hardly ever used it. His home wasn’t far from the palace. A small benefit of being the son of Sir Alcaster Leverton. Still, he knew the area well. Recruits practiced in a large yard, and other knights spoke with each other while they were off-duty.

They turned into a room that Fritz had only been in a handful of times, a private area for the most trusted of knights manage themselves. When the door closed behind him, Fritz saw something sparkle.

“Your father has told me much about you in the past,” Mythros said. “You’re in the peak of health, one of the best knights we have. You’ve often taken on two or three others at the same time and come out on top when you sparred.”

That was quite a compliment. “To be fair, the time when I had three against me was circumstantial. It was a battle royale, and one of the knights had fought another before joining the others against me.”

Mythros’s smile widened. “And modest too. Alcaster, your son is perfect for what we need.”

His father was there? But he said he was busy, that was why there was a letter. But if it was just this offer, then maybe it was a setup.

His father walked up from… from somewhere. He didn’t know where it was. It was as if he was hidden behind a veil of invisibility until just then. “I told you he would be. A wonderful knight, and he’d make a nice prince too. He’d never admit it, but he’s caught the eye of quite a few young women.”

A prince? “Father, Sir Mythros what is going on? What are you asking of me?”

His father frowned. “These past four years have been terrible for Angielle. Genaro is a kind king, but he is too soft on the people. The crime has gone up since his first wife died. She may have been a terrible Witch, but she knew how to control the populace.”

Mythros looked at his father for a moment. “I assure you, not all witches are terrible, Alcaster. Though Fritzgerald, or would you like me to call you Fritz?”

“Fritz is fine,” he said. He didn’t know what to say. Were they planning a coup? He remembered some knights trying to say something like that about his father. He wasn’t happy about the claims, but what if they were right?

“Fritz then. We want you to help us. You may be Alcaster’s son, but there are some things neither of us can accomplish. We’re too — hm — let’s call it visible. I don’t need much, just information about the princesses from time to time. Maybe some words spread to the right people.”

“A messenger,” his father said. “It won’t be much, my son.”

Fritz’s hand moved to his sword. There was no way he could take both Mythros and his father on, but this was treason. They were talking about treason, casually. “The other knights won’t go for this. They’ll fight for our King.”

“Most would fight for Alcaster,” Mythros said. “Those who do not do so willingly to quench their need to fight disorder, I have ways of having them help.”

“The royal family,” he said. “What are you going to do with them?”

His father smiled. “Genaro must die. Mythros insists that Lucette must live for his own reasons, the rest, I don’t know. Let Ophelia and her whelps go back to her father’s bakery. Unless they get too righteous, I suppose. They might need to die.”

Lucette was going to live. For a second, he was tempted to agree. However, the others were just as innocent, and he swore an oath to both king and country in that order. He would never fight against the King. Not even if Princess Lucette demanded it.

“We can make it worth your while, Fritz. Name what you want, it will be yours. You’ll be prince of course, so you’ll have power, but you can be the new head of the Order, all the exotic goods your heart desires, any woman you want. Just say yes.”

He started to turn away from them, run, tell Genaro those knights that were dismissed were right. He had proof, but when Mythros mentioned women, he thought of Lucette. She had always seemed to like him better than other people. There also was that infatuation with her he’d had for at least six months. He could make her smile every day.

But it wasn’t worth the cost. He ran to the door.

Everything went white.

Why was he facing the door? Why was his hand on his blade? His heart beat quickly, and he could hear himself pant.

“Don’t forget, Fritz,” Mythros said. “We have an exercise for you early in the morning. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay here tonight.”

Fritz let go of his sword. “Understood, Sir.” What was the exercise? Why did he need to stay? All he could remember was walking into the room. Still, something like that would be easy enough to manage. “If you don’t mind, I do have another agreed upon arrangement today. See you tomorrow.”

He left and made his way to the front gate. The princesses must have been waiting.

When the door closed, Alcaster turned to Mythros. “What did you do to him? I saw that spell, witch.”

“A simple memory charm, nothing more. He forgot everything since he entered the room. It seems he doesn’t want a part."

Alcaster glared at him. "He believes in the letter of the law so much he doesn't much care for the spirit of keeping this kingdom safe. He's skilled, but he gets his ideas of knighthood from the fairy tales he read as a child."

"However…”

Mythros had a sparkle in his eyes.

“However?” Alcaster asked.

“There was a moment he hesitated. It seems he’s not a perfect knight after all. He can still do the job we want. I just need to convince him tonight.”


End file.
